Device for closing ship&#39;s hatchways



July 10, 1956 P. A. MEGE DEVICE FOR CLOSING SHIP'S HATCHWAYS Filed Sept. 5, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 n ysumn PAUL ANDR MEO E ATTORNEYS July 10, 1956 P. A. MEGE 2,753,828

DEVICE FOR CLOSING SHIP'S HATCHWAYS Filed Sept. 5, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR PAUL ANDRE more ATTORNEYS July 10, 1956 P. A. MEGE 2,753,828

DEVICE FOR CLOSING SHIPS HATCHWAYS Filed Sept. 3, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 I l I L! E 5 Lt July 10, 1956 P. A. MEGE 2,753,823

DEVICE FOR CLOSING SHIP'S HATCHWAYS Filed Sept. 5, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 United States Patent DEVICE FOR CLOSING SHIPS HATCHWAYS Paul Andr Mege, Paris, France Application September 3, 1952, Serial No. 307,621

Claims priority, application France August 7, 1952 4 Claims. (Cl. 114-202) This invention relates to hatchways of ships and the like and more particularly to a novel device for closing the hatchways of shipholds, of the type comprising a series of hatches hingedly interconnected, and adapted to roll along the coaming and to be operated by a pair of cables, one for spreading the hatches over the hatchway and the other for folding the hatches in accordion-like fashion and stowing same vertically.

As a rule, the opening cable is anchored to the hatch which is farthermost from the ledge whilst the closing cable is secured to the same hatch but acts in the opposite direction.

Hinged hatch elements of this type are well known but the devices necessarily associated therewith have not, up to now, afforded any practical and rational utilizations, especially when the stowage space allocated for the set of hatches has relatively reduced dimensions and/or is positioned tween-decks.

Now this invention provides a novel device of this type whereby the drawbacks inherent to former arrangements are substantially eliminated.

The device according to this invention is remarkable I notably in that the hatch elements are arranged by pairs, the end pair adjacent to the ledge having its end element hinged directly to this ledge, and that the so-called opening cable is anchored directly to the hatch element which is remotest from the aforesaid ledge and passes over a guide block positioned beyond the aforesaid hatch element hinged to the ledge.

According to another characteristic feature of the invention the hatch element of each pair which is remotest from the ledge carries at one end a set of rollers on which it bears not only during its rolling to and from its closed position but also when itis stowed in the space provided for this purpose.

According to this invention, these last-mentioned rollercarrying hatch elements, at their ends opposite to those at which the aforesaid rollers are mounted, carry members for hingedly connecting them with the adjacent hatch elements and a set of guide rollers for the opening cable, these members being so disposed that when the hatch elements are closed or spread the portions thereof by which said guiding rollers are carried engage recesses formed in the outer surface of the adjacent hatch elements so as to avoid any projection of parts at the outside, whereas the hinge axes of the hatch elements are positioned beneath the outer or top surfaces thereof.

The considerable interest arising from this invention 2,753,828 Patented July 10, 1956 outermost element hingedly mounted on opposite ledges of the hatchway, or a set of batch elements with one or a pair of hatch elements hingedly mounted on the opposite ledge of the hatchway.

Moreover, it will be noted that the guide rollers for the opening cable are mounted on straps so disposed that they do not protrude from the spread hatch elements so that amongst other advantages the device is characterised by a perfect Water-tightness by using simple joints of known type.

The afiixed drawings forming part of this specification illustrate diagrammatically by way of example a few embodiments of the hatch device according to this invention. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 illustrates diagrammatically in part-sectional side view one form of embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a similar view of a modified embodiment;

Fig. 3 shows a detail of the hinged mounting of the innermost hatch element on the ledge;

Fig. 4 shows at a greater scale and in section the arrangement of the opening cable guide roller carrying strap;

Fig. 5 shows a cover in a semi-extended position;

Fig. 6 shows the case of a modified embodiment.

Referring first to the form of embodiment of Fig. 1, this shows at 1 a shiphold to which access is gained through a hatchway provided with a coaming 2, the stowage space available for the hatch elements being shown at 3. This stowage space is limited above by a deck 4. The various hatch elements are disposed by pairs 5-5, 6-6, 77', etc. The end pair has its larger side adjacent to the coaming and comprises an element 5 hingedly mounted directly at 8 on the said coaming or on the lower deck 9. Fig. 3 illustrates the constructional details of this hinge. A lug 10 welded or secured in any other suitable fashion to the element 5 is hingedly connected through a pin 11 to a strap member 12 secured to the ledge 2.

Each hatch element outside the one described above and hingedly connected to the coaming comprises a pair of rollers 13, 14 through which the hatch elements may roll along the coamings of the hatch-way. More particularly, the hatch elements 5', 6, 7 are provided with rollers 13 positioned practically in prolongation thereof so that when the hatch elements are in their vertical or stowage positions they bear on these rollers.

The upper hinged connections between each pair of hatch elements 5-5, 6-6', 77' etc. is provided by a member 15 secured to or'formed integrally with the upper ends of each hatch element and extending upwardly therefrom. Each member 15 (see Figure 4), comprises an arm 16 extending from the lower edge thereof toward the other hatch element of its pair and overlapping the arm 16 of the other element. A pivot pin 17 passes through the overlapping positions of the arms 16 serving to hinge the hatch elements of each pair together. The members 15 associated with each of the prime hatch elements except the innermost such element, further comprise a pair of parallel arms 19 extending toward the adjacent member 15 and being approximately parallel to arm 16. A pair of rollers 20 and 21 are rotatably supported between each pair of the parallel arms 19 and have a control cable 24 positioned between them. All but the innermost non-primed hatch elements are provided with open topped recesses defined by plates 22 and extensions of the side member of these hatch elements for receiving the arms 19 therein when the hatch is closed. The hatch elements are provided with a member 15 having a double function: in the first place, it serves for realizing the connection between the elements of each pair, and further it is adapted to carry guiding means for an opening cable 24 which will be described below. This second function does not exist in the case of the innermost pair of hatch elements; that is, the elements 77.

It is obvious that with this arrangement the hinge device 17 through which the hatch elements of a pair are connected may be positioned beneath the top surface of these elements and, therefore, in a protected place. Besides, no part of the strap 19 protrudes above the top surface formed by the spread hatch elements.

Each pair of hatch elements is hingedly connected to the adjacent pair at 25.

The opening cable 24 is fixed at 26 on the innermost hatch element of the assembly. Then it passes around a guide block 27 attached to a suitable point of the stowage space 3 above the coaming 2. Then the cable leaves the space 3 by passing under a roller 28.

A closing cable 40 is secured at 29 to the farthermost hatch element, as in conventional practice.

A stop member 30, preferably of wood, is provided in the stowage space 3 for engagement by the hatch element which is hingedly mounted on the coaming.

Obviously, the original arrangement of members 15 with their associate straps and hinge means makes it extremely simple to provide water-tight joints between the various hatch elements in order to prevent the ingress of sea or rain water into the shiphold when the hatch is closed.

It will also be seen that by reason, on the one hand, of the direct hinge connection of the end hatch element with the coaming and, on the other hand, of the provision of a guide block for the opening cable which is positioned practically above the coaming and, moreover, due to the specific shape of straps 15 and hinge member 17, the invention makes it possible to construct a fully satisfactory assembly in both open-deck and tween-deck cases, irrespective of the type of ships on which the construction is contemplated.

In the example of Fig. 2 it is assumed that the hatchway of the shiphold is greater that the length of the hatch formed with hinged elements. In this case on the side opposite to the part of the coaming carrying the hinge 8 there are provided at 31 one or a plurality of hatch elements 32 hingedly mounted at 33 and adapted to be operated through a cable 34 secured at 35. The hinge device 33 may be similar to that illustrated in Fig. 3. This control cable passes around a pair of blocks 36 and 37. The hatch element or elements 32 may be held in its stowage or open position by a hook device 38. The

strap 19 departs from that illustrated in Fig. 1 only in that it is inclined relative to the longitudinal axis of the hatchway. A retaining or stowing cable 39 secured at 40 and 41 may also be provided.

Referring to the embodiment of Fig. 6, the hatch element 32 of Fig. 2 has been replaced by two hatch elements (32, 32) hinged to one another, the specific arrangement and number of hatch elements being dependent upon the dimensions of the hatchway.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the forms of embodiment shown and described herein as many modifications may be brought thereto without departing from its spirit and scope as set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. A device for closing the hatchways of shipholds comprising a hatchway, a hatch coaming, a first end pair, a second end pair and at least one intermediate pair of hatch cover elements, said elements lying in a horizontal position when in a hatchway closing position and being folded in a vertical position when in a hatchway opening position, a storage space for accommodating said hatch cover elements in the vertical position, said stowage space communicating with said hatchway and extending horizontally therefrom, said hatch coaming extending into said stowage space, means for pivotally securing the hatch cover element farthest removed from said hatchway when in the vertical position to said coaming within said stowage space, means for pivotally securing one element of each of said pair of elements to One element of a juxtaposed pair of elements adjacent said coaming, means for pivotally connecting the elements of each of said pairs of hatch cover elements, the last-mentioned means associated with at least one of said intermediate pairs of hatch cover elements including a longitudinal extension of one of said hatch cover elements of each pair, a roller secured to said longitudinal extension and spaced from its associated hatch cover element, the other hatch cover element of each of said latter pairs of hatch cover elements having a recess for receiving said longitudinal extension when said hatch cover elements are in the hatchway closing position, a cable for retracting said hatch elements from their hatchway closing to their hatchway opening position, said cable extending from a point in said stowage space remote from said hatchway and between each of said rollers and its associated hatch cover element to said second end pair of hatch cover elements, means for securing said cable to one element of said second end pair of hatch cover elements, said cable when pulled to open said hatchway exerting an upward force on each of said rollers to facilitate folding of said hatch cover elements.

2. The combination in accordance with claim 1 wherein a longitudinal extension is provided on one hatch cover element of each of said first end and intermediate pair of hatch cover elements.

3. The combination in accordance with claim 1 further comprising a pair of rollers secured to one element of each of said pairs of hatch cover elements adjacent said coaming, a horizontal ledge extending from said coaming, said rollers adapted and arranged to roll over said ledge during movement of said hatch cover elements between their said two positions.

4. The combination in accordance with claim 1 further comprising a second roller pivotally secured to said longitudinal extension between said first roller and its associated hatch cover element, said cable passing between said rollers.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 373,549 Briggs NOV. 22, 1887 390,767 Fowler Oct. 9, 1888 781,665 Kusch Feb. 7, 1905 834,287 Frey Oct. 30, 1906 935,431 Tackman Sept. 28, 1909 2,408,739 Dawes Oct. 8, 1946 2,484,286 Groppell Oct. 11, 1949 2,664,947 Aarvoid Jan. 5, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 370,653 Great Britain Apr. 14, 1932 466,019 Great Britain May 14, 1937 542,740 Great Britain Ian. 26, 1942 616,975 Great Britain Ian. 31, 1949 

